


The Great Divide Chapter 28: Tourniquet

by Antigravity_Carnivore



Series: The Great Divide [28]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), STARSET (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Future, Bands, Dark, F/M, Future Fic, Gay, Gay Male Character, Homosexuality, Inspired by Music, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Music, Rebellion, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 09:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14638641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigravity_Carnivore/pseuds/Antigravity_Carnivore
Summary: As the Shepherd of the Damn, Benjamin Burnley returns to The Shallow Bay to find Lizzie, while Dustin sets out on a mission to stop Rhiannon's evil plan of bringing her son back to life can be completed.





	The Great Divide Chapter 28: Tourniquet

Burnley coughed; a bubble formed on his lips and then burst, sending a thin trickle of the warm blood down oozing out over the corner of his mouth. His body was wracked with painful spasms as he lay on the cold hard floor, each breath bringing him closer to death. He had been shot twice, the well-aimed bullets penetrating his skull, blinding him and sending him into eternal darkness, and run through with his own sword, in a grim mockery of fate, with his life slowly slipping away. He was cold and alone, listening to the sound of the base exploding around him. He never thought that his life would end this way; broken and defeated, alone and ashamed. All the power that he once had was now gone, disappeared and fading away into nothing. Turning his head slightly to the side, his sightless eyes fell to where the shattered pieces of the last vial of the Eden drug that Brock had crushed underneath his foot, had fallen. He could smell the sweet amber liquid which had seeped out onto the concrete floor, collecting in a small pool no larger than the size of a coin. He knew that it wouldn’t be enough to restore his full strength, but it was enough to save his life. All he had to do was make his way over to it.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Burnley stretched his arms out, his fingers arching and summoning every bit of strength that he had inside to pull his body along the floor. Pushing forward with his feet, he managed to move one quarter of an inch when the first wave of agony hit him. Screaming out, he immediately reached down and wrapped one of his arms around his midsection. He could feel the disgusting warm sensation of his innards shifting and sloshing about inside of his stomach, as the blood pumped freely from the wound. Not giving up, he reached out with his free hand again, grasping for a hold on the floor and pushed forward once again, this time only making it half the distance before the shooting pain weakened him and he was forced to stop. Turning over onto his back, he cried out into the empty room. “FUCK!” The sound of his voice echoed loudly and was met by another massive explosion somewhere slightly closer to him. The beads of sweat were staring to build up on his forehead now, as the temperature in the room climbed steadily. Burnley knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the entire place would be consumed by flames, and he had to act quickly if he were to get out with his life. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly rolled over; slamming the front of his muscular frame down onto the floor and dragging it inch by agonizing inch over the concrete. He bit down on his bottom lip and crawled through the darkness, leaving a massive bloody trail behind him as he came closer to the unmistakable scent of the Eden drug. As he moved, the intense agony became almost unbearable, and every inch of his body screamed out for him to stop. Waves upon waves of pain flowed through him, slowly sapping away his strength, threatening to force him into a state of shock which he knew he could never recover from. 

Another explosion rocked the base, and far above, Burnley could hear the sound of glass from the control room start to crack. It wouldn’t be long now before it would completely shatter, covering him in a blanket of razor sharp shards. Moving along, he tried to quicken his pace, but his arms were rapidly tiring out, and the few drops of life giving liquid felt like miles away. He couldn’t stop, he had to keep going, press on; it was the only way. Fighting through the pain, his mind suddenly drifted off to Brock, to that seemingly innocent, and yet tragically broken young man that he had spent so many nights watching through black and white monitors controlled by the FEC. Utterly fascinated and drawn to him, Burnley never knew that the emotions he was experiencing while observing him were the ones that he hated and despised the most… love and affection. All he knew is that one day, their paths would cross and somehow, when he came face to face with the man, he would confront all these feelings and make him pay for giving them to him. He both loved and hated Brock. The emotions were a heavy burden upon him, and in order to restore his pride, he’d have to find a way to deal with them to be whole again. Pushing his body forward, closer to the last drops of the Eden drug, Burnley smiled. Through all the pain and agony, it was Brock’s memory that now kept him going. He no longer cared about getting revenge on the FEC, or punishing his father, all he wanted to do was simply live so that he could find Brock, and somehow find a way to remove these terrible emotions that plagued him. 

Only a few inches away from the amber droplets, Burnley suddenly was hit with another coughing fit and he was forced to stop. His lungs were rapidly filling up with blood, and there was no way of stopping it. He would suffocate and choke to death if he didn’t get his hands on the drug. It could start the healing process and get him on his feet in a matter of minutes, if he could only just reach it. Arching his back, Burnley flopped on the floor, like a fish out of water, his body spasmining and seizing. The edges of the gaping gash in his stomach started to tear with the violent movements, increasing the amount of blood that he was losing. In his own blind darkness, he waited until the episode passed, then pulled himself up on one elbow and spit out a mouthful of blood. Stretching his fingers out, he reached forward and felt a sharp sting penetrate his flesh. It was bits and pieces of the shattered glass vial. He was close now. The sweet scent filling his head with the thrill of ecstasy, he pressed on, knowing that the moment that as soon as the drug hit his system, he could gain a little of himself back, and use the intense pain that he was experiencing to make himself strong enough to walk out of this death trap. All he needed were those beautiful amber colored chemicals. 

Half an inch away, he reached out and felt his fingertips touch the dense liquid. It was cool and soothing and almost immediately he began to relax. It would all be over soon. The concoction would pass over his lips and down into his throat, dispersing through veins and flowing through his bloodstream with a frightening fierceness. Then the one single moment of pure euphoria as the intoxication washed over him and the healing process began. Dipping his fingers into the small puddle, he lifted his hand and brought it to his lips, preparing to taste the first, intense wave of power flow through him, when suddenly; his hand was pulled away, and forcibly yanked with great force, causing him tremendous pain. Thin fingers wrapped around his wrist and started to pull his body away from the spilled Eden drug on the floor, and bring him back to the center of the room. His salvation was slipping away now. Trying to free himself was a futile effort, he had lost too much blood and he couldn’t fight back, and all he could do was wait and momentarily surrender to his captor, biding his moments. There was a scent of lilac in the air, and he knew it couldn’t have been Brock. Brock was long gone, he’d never come back, he left with the others, choosing his friends without question or hesitation over Burnley and his lunacy. “Who are you?” He shouted. “Get away from me!”

The hand let go of him, tossing his limp arm down to his side. Burnley could hear the sound of bare feet tapping on the cold floor and the quiet dragging sound of material trailing out from behind the body that it was attached to. “Oh my dear sweet boy. Look at what they’ve done to you. They’ve poisoned your body and your mind, turning you into nothing more than a sadistic addict. Do you not remember me, your own mother?”

Moving slightly so that he was laying on his back, Burnley clutched at his stomach and swallowed back the saliva and blood that was rapidly filling his mouth. “I have no mother.”

Kneeling down, Rhiannon placed a hand on her son’s cheek. He didn’t fight her or draw away, but winced slightly at her touch. “Yes you do. You were ripped out of my arms so many years ago and taken from me by that vile woman Selene; forced to become the monster that they all see you as now. But I know that is not you, you are my innocent little boy, Benjamin, and I am here to take you home to a new life.” She gestured around the empty room. “You won’t remember any of this. We can start over again. Won’t that be nice?”

Burnley tried to move, to get away from the woman who spoke to him, but he found that it was too late, all the strength had left him, and he was almost completely immobile with fatigue. Death would come for him soon. “My name isn’t Benjamin.” He said in a snarl, turning his blind eyes toward her. 

“Yes it is, and you belong to me.” Rhiannon drew her hand away from his face and stood up, pacing around her fallen son. Her feet became saturated in his spilled blood and left behind crimson footprints as she walked. “I saw you crawling across the floor when I walked in, Benjamin. You were so desperate to get your hands on that one single drop of Eden drug to save your life. So I know that you want to escape from here…but what is it that is giving you reason to live? Is it self-preservation? Is it the lust for revenge against your father and the FEC… or perhaps something else? Whatever it is, it won’t matter anymore. I am going to lift you up and give you the life that you deserve, to be at my side as my son. I can give you back all the power and pride that has been taken away from you, and all I ask for in return is your eternal love and devotion, a chance to be a mother again. Let me guide you back to your destiny.” 

Moving his head slightly, Burnley felt the tears of blood run down over his cheeks and slowly drip down to the floor. “Love? Love is horrible. It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and your heart. That means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. I do not wish for or need this useless emotion.” Burnley clenched his hand into a fist as he spoke, he could feel the slightly sticky feeling of the fresh blood pooled up on his skin in layers. “I do not want or need love from anyone.”

Rhiannon frowned at him. “I am giving you the chance at being the magnificent god that you were destined to be and you refuse? Benjamin, think about it for a moment. Everything you’ve ever done, everything that has ever happened to you will be washed away and you can start your life over again. Do you know how many people would love to have the chance to put their past behind them? It will be almost as if this version of you never existed. Your soul will be cleansed and free from all your past sin, but I can’t make you accept this, it is something you must choose on your own, but you must choose soon because you will die; it will only be a matter of moments. It’s alright though… its part of the process, but once the last breath of life leaves your body and your soul is set free, I can take it and put it where it should be, if you allow me to, in a new body and you will be reborn. All you have to do is let nature take its course and take my hand at the end. Let me lift you up. Embrace your fate, and I’ll be your guide. I promise that I will never leave you again. If you fight against me…things will be bad, very bad.” She slowed her pace across the floor, the quiet tapping of her feet padding softly on the concrete. “…and not just for you either…others will suffer.”

For a moment, the explosions far below the base ceased, filling the room with an eerie silence. It was almost as if time was standing still. Burnley could feel his heart beating faintly in his chest. It wouldn’t be long now. He thought about her words for a moment, what she was offering him was completely unbelievable; a chance to escape death itself and correct the mistakes he had made, another chance at getting all that he wanted, and more. He took a long, deep breath that rattled hollowly in his lungs. Everything was slipping away from him. “Whose life would you take to give me mine back?” He asked quietly. “What sacrifice must be made?”

High above them, the glass panels of the control room cracked a little more, and the first of the silvery shards broke free and crashed down to the floor slicing Burnley’s cheek. He felt the sting as the glass lacerated his skin, sending a shiver down his spine but he didn’t flinch or move at all. The small cut gave him a momentary feeling of excitement and exhilaration. It was pure and undiluted pain, filling him with a almost sickening, lustful sensation. Rhiannon bent down and picked up the piece of glass and held it in between her fingers, staring intently at the drops of his blood that had splattered on it, her son’s blood and then tossed it aside. Burnley could hear the shard hit the floor and break apart. “It’s not a simple process. You can’t just transfer someone’s soul into a random vessel, it won’t work. There must be something there physically connecting the two. Since you were taken from Earth, there aren’t many options available except one.” Rhiannon’s voice lowered. The only life that would be worthy of you… is your unborn son.”

Burnley shook his head, laughing. “Now I know that you are lying to me. I have no son.”

“You’re wrong. The messenger girl, Lizzie, the one with whom you turned into your own personal plaything carries your legacy within her.” Rhiannon paced around Burnley, slowly circling her son with precise, slow movements. “Your intentions were to give her a new life, as a Carnivore, but in your haste, you missed vital steps in the conversion process, choosing to punish and torture her before it was complete, not knowing that this one crucial mistake would be your salvation.” She stopped and stood in front of Burnley. “But it wasn't a mistake, was it? You knew exactly what you had done, didn’t you?”

“No.” Burnley whispered. “I didn’t know…”

Smiling, Rhiannon tilted her head, her long blond hair falling in front of her face. “You knew, because you let her go when she was trying to escape with Thomas. You let her walk out of here without trying to stop her. Maybe you didn’t know why you let her go at the time, but there was a feeling when you looked at her, into her eyes from the end of that hallway. You knew that you were powerless to harm her, because of what was growing inside of her. It’s not a child, Benjamin, it’s a vessel, waiting for your soul to consume his and make you strong once again. His bones will become your bones, his blood will become your blood. You’ve raped and murdered countless others before, what is one more life to you?” She hesitated for a moment and regarded her son with interest. “Maybe I am wrong, and you’re incapable of being the person you once were. Perhaps the lesson that your father was trying to teach you finally sank in and you’ve been cursed with conscience. I never thought I’d see the day when you admitted defeat to him, but as I look down at you now, I can clearly see that is what happened. He’s won, and all you can do there now is lay there and die because you are too ashamed to do anything about it. I am so disappointed in you.” 

A huge explosion shook the floor, ending the silence. Burnley curled his hands into fists and tried to reach out to grab her, shouting loudly. “GET OUT! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME.”

Rhiannon looked down at her son, taking a step away from him. “Why are you choosing to defy me? I can’t understand this hostility. Look what I am giving you! A chance to have your life back! Benjamin, you can do whatever you want…it doesn’t matter, destroy Prox, destroy the Messengers, or save it all. I don’t care. All I do care about is that you are with me and we’re together as we should be. All those lonely missing years can be replaced with new ones, with precious, beautiful memories!”

Burnley remained motionless on the floor, concentrating on the sound of the explosions, and wishing that they would come faster. Having never suffered defeat before, he wanted this to be over, this terrible misery to end. He considered taking Rhiannon up on her offer for one brief moment, it would give him the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge on the FEC, find Brock and destroy what was left of this miserable planet, and yet, there was something holding him back, something that he couldn’t quite understand yet, and now that he was at the end of his life, he wasn’t sure if he ever would. Drawing in a breath, he smiled through his blood stained lips. “You don’t know what it’s like to suffer like I did. In all that time, being alone, I came to realize that people are worthless. There isn’t anyone in the world that I can depend on, except myself. Every step of the way, I made my own fate. I don’t need you…. I’ve never needed you... Mother.” Burnley’s words were filled with hatred and rage. “Go away and let me die in peace. If you come for my soul, you can be assured that you will never have it. I will fight you.”

“Do you really think that you can resist me? Look at you. You’re weak…nothing more than an addict given strength by that cursed Eden drug. I am almost embarrassed to call you my son.” Rhiannon shook her head in disappointment. “If that’s the way you want it, then I will come and rip your soul out of your body and store it away in a place where no one can ever find it until that child is born. Because you’ve been so defiant of me, I will see to it that every single moment that you spend locked away is filled with such torture and torment that you’d wish that you never defied me. I can put you into any reality that I want and make you believe it was real. I’ll rip your world apart and replace it with one of my own. How much pain can you really endure, my son, before you break?”

From his place on the floor, Burnley suddenly burst out laughing. His laughs were frightening and tinged with a slightly sadistic tone that made Rhiannon take a step back away from him, frightened. “Then give it to me, ALL of it. All your pain, your torment, your agony, your sorrow. Fill my body with it; let it flow through my veins and into my body until my bones burst with it. I welcome it.” Burnley said with a wicked grin; the blood flowing freely over his pale lips. He pulled himself into a semi-sitting position, pushing through the pain, and turning his sightless eyes to her. There was an air of sheer animosity around him that made the wounded man seem invincible. “When you’re done with your petty party games and charades, I will come for you and show you the real meaning of pain.”

Chilled to the core by his words, Rhiannon turned away from him. There was something in the tone of his voice that was irrational and psychopathic, and even though he was blind, she didn’t want to be trembling near him, he’d know…somehow he’d know. “So be it. You’ve made your choice, Benjamin.” She looked toward the darkness. “No. Not my little Benjamin, you truly are Burnley, a stranger who has twisted my sons soul into something perverted and atrocious. Nevertheless, I will get you back to the way you once were, I don’t need your permission. I just hope that you don’t end up regretting the decision you made, especially when I end the life of your child so that you can begin your life. His blood will be forever on your hands, not mine.” Slowly the darkness began to consume her, and she started to fade away. “Because I am a merciful woman, I will give you the peace that you so desire, and let you die here on your own. As your life leaves you, you should look back upon it and realize that there is no one who has ever loved you more than I have. You have destroyed everything, but I refuse to let you destroy yourself. You will remember what it feels like to be utterly alone and abandoned, drowning in the sorrow and misery of your pathetic life and then beg me for a new one.” 

As she vanished into nothingness, Burnley was overcome with emotion. His body began to shake and there was this tremendous heaviness in his heart. He wanted to weep, to cry and shed tears, but they wouldn’t come. A small whimper escaped his blood covered lips, but no one heard it. The darkness was creeping over him, filling his body with the chill icy coolness that descends over all dying things. Leaning his head back onto the floor, he thought about his life and the life that he had unknowingly created. Knowing that he could possibly have a child of his own made him feel strangely protective and fierce, and yet weak and vulnerable. Here at the end, for the first time in his life, Burnley wanted to do something that was justifiable and right, but he was completely powerless, nothing more than a helpless man dying on the floor. His only saving grace was that he knew that there was no way that he would ever let this woman take him. Even if it meant that his soul would suffer fading away into nothingness, he wouldn’t let it happen. He could fight her for eternity for that child.

There was a soft tapping noise outside the room which drew Burnley out of his thoughts. It was the sound of someone’s fingers on the electronic keypad. Motionless, he lay in the center of the room, clutching at his stomach in a pathetic attempt at stopping or at least slowing the bleeding when he heard the locked doors slide open. Soft footfalls echoed off the walls and then the sound of a bag being dropped on the floor. Burnley’s heart pumped, making the blood flow out even faster. He knew it was Brock. He had come back for him. He wasn’t going to die alone. 

Thomas slowly opened his eyes, and his vision was flooded with a myriad of intensely colored lights that seemed to burn right into his brain. He inhaled as the sharp, stabbing pains shot through his head and made him nauseous and weak. Forcing his eyes open even further, trying his best to ignore his intense discomfort, he made his way to a sitting position and was immediately assaulted with a massive wave of bile making its way from the pit of his stomach and into his throat. The pain in his head was causing the room to spin, and the motion was making him sicker by the moment. Reaching out, he tried to steady himself, but was shocked as he realized that his wrists were bound in iron shackles that were embedded in the floor. His heart was beating at a rapid pace, and he struggled to catch his breath as the lights on the visor grew more and more intense. Letting out a scream of anguish, Thomas leaned over and retched, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor. The acidic bile burned his throat, cutting off his scream, nearly choking him. Drenched in sweat and tears, he fell back down onto the floor, his eyes trying to focus on the ceiling above him and not the agonizing lights of the visor.

Gasping for breath, he lifted an arm, trying to wipe the sweat out of his eyes and discovered that his hands and arms were encased in massive steel chains that were welded down to the floor, preventing him from moving. Feeling drained, his body near to the point of exhaustion, all Thomas could do was lay back and think about was trying to escape. He had to get back to Lizzie and the boys as soon as possible. He had been awake and coherent during the conversation between Rhiannon and Dustin, but was unable to move or speak. The revelation that baby Benjamin was not his son, shook him to the very core. The suspicions were there, it was obvious to see just by looking at the child. Instead of dark color hair, the boy had soft, sandy colored light hair, with intense amber colored eyes that would follow you around the room, no matter where you went. He cried almost constantly, suffering with some unknown illness that no one could quite figure out and the only one who seemed to know how to comfort him was Benjamin. The thought of Burnley touching Lizzie revolted Thomas and made him even more ill. She never wanted to talk about what happened at the F.E.C. base, because she only could remember small, disjointed bits of information that greatly upset her when she couldn’t piece them together. Not wanting to cause her anymore stress, Thomas agreed not to bring it up, but instead to put the past behind them and move on. Burnley was dead, and there was no reason to keep his memory alive by reliving parts of the past that no one could change… and yet, here it all was. Everything from a year ago that he thought he had shut the door on, now crashing through and threatening to destroy everything that he once held dear. 

Taking a deep breath, Thomas closed his eyes for a moment and then heard soft footsteps near him and spoke out loud. “I got out of the vehicle because the GPS signal was lost. We were heading further and further away from where we should have been, I thought that all I had to do was stop and get out to realign the receiver…just one minute and it would be fixed.” His voice grew quiet. “They hit me from behind. I didn’t think anyone would be waiting for us… I tried to fight them off, I really did… but they came out of nowhere. Two men… they were fast. I couldn’t even get a good look at them. They brought me here and put this fucking visor on me.” He lowered his head and started sobbing. “Oh god Brock, this is all my fault. I’ve put everyone in danger haven’t I? You asked me for help…I thought I could save you, but I guess I am not good enough. I failed you.”

Brock looked down at the man shackled to the floor at his feet. “It’s not your fault, Thomas. As a matter of fact, I wanted to try and reach out to you weeks ago, but I knew that you had a lot to deal with, with the children and Lizzie and I couldn’t bring myself to complicate things for you, so I foolishly chose Benjamin. I was hoping against hope that he’d put his own personal problems with me aside and see the potential danger here before it was too late… but I was wrong. I’ve exhausted so much of myself trying to beg and plead with him to stop this, but I couldn’t make him listen or understand.”

“What about Dustin?” Thomas asked. You know that he’d never turn his back on you.” 

“He finally gave me what I wanted and let me go.” Brock said. “He was happy. I couldn’t bring myself to give him the opportunity to slip back into the way things were before. He needed to have closure.” Thomas could pick up a note of extreme sadness in his voice. “I didn’t want him to know what was going on, I didn’t want him to come here. I loved that man from the first moment that we met and I laid eyes on him. I gave up my life for him, and I thought he loved me too, but in the end, when it mattered the most, he chose Benjamin over me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t make him love me. Burnley may have been using me at first, but I really didn’t care, he filled the hole in my heart that Dustin put there. I died a long time before the FEC base exploded, Thomas. I died the moment that he kissed me and I could no longer feel the love in those lips. So that’s the reason why I came to you for help after Benjamin refused me, and not Dustin. Seeing him, feeling his presence near me, so full of light and life hurts beyond words.”

Feeling uncomfortable, Thomas moved slightly, trying to stretch his arms out underneath the massive steel chains; the visor perched on his head feeling heavy and imposing. “Wait a moment, where is Dustin anyway?” he said looking around quickly. “I thought I heard him here earlier, he didn’t get captured when I did, they left him alone, I don’t understand why they didn’t take the both of us, but he came here to try and save me. Where is he?”

Brock gave Thomas a moody stare and shook his head. “Dustin is unimportant to Rhiannon. He’s no use to her, not like you. You are more valuable and have something that she wants.”

Thomas sighed. “I just don’t get it, if it’s the Shallow Bay, then she can have it, it’s a base, nothing special about it at all. The only thing I care about in it is…” He stopped for a moment and then looked up to meet Brock’s eyes, suddenly remembering Rhiannon’s words. “She took me and left Dustin behind because of the children, she wants the babies!”

“Just one, baby Benjamin.” Brock calmly corrected him. “She has Burnley’s soul locked away somewhere and is planning on putting it into the child and having her son reborn here on Prox. Benjamin is the perfect vessel for it because he is tied to Burnley, thus making it easy for her.”

Feeling sick, Thomas flopped back down onto the hard, cold stone floor and lowered his head. “Because he’s the father…not me.” Tears started forming in the corner of Thomas’s eyes. “Brock, I didn’t know that Lizzie was… I mean, how could I have known? I should have known that he did something to her worse than just turning her into a Carnivore, that’s why she never wanted to talk about it. You can see it when you look at him, he’s clearly Burnley’s child…I am so fucking stupid.”

Moving across the room, Brock came to sit next to Thomas. “Do you remember when the babies were born, the feeling of warmth and happiness that spilled into your soul like the first rays of sunlight on a summer morning? You were positively beaming with pride and joy when you held them in your arms for the first time. Do you remember seeing Lizzie as your wife sitting on that rocking chair singing sweetly to the two of them and feeling a sense of contentment and happiness? These are the feelings of a father. It doesn’t matter whose name would appear on a piece of paper, it’s the love that you have for them deep inside your heart and how you share your life with them that matters the most. Even if you had known what Burnley did to Lizzie, that wouldn’t have stopped you from wanting to spend the rest of your life with her, would it?”

Sighing, Thomas swallowed hard, choking back the rising emotions in this throat. “Of course not! I love Lizzie so much, and even being away from her for a short time nearly kills me. I can’t think of a life without her now…and the children.”

“Exactly. Both of those children are yours in more than just name, Thomas. I know it, Lizzie knows it, everyone at the Shallow Bay knows it too, and it’s time that you accepted it. Tristan and Benjamin are your sons, they don’t belong to anyone else and it’s your job to protect them.” Brock put a hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “You’ve got friends behind you, have faith in them and they will find a way through this. You aren’t alone.”

Thomas looked at Brock through the glass of the dimly illuminated visor. “Thanks Brock. You always know the right thing to say to make people feel better.” Brock half smiled at him and looked away. Even though Thomas knew that he was only talking to a ghost, just being near Brock made him feel a little less uncomfortable and uneasy. He was in a dire situation with no way out, but he never felt alone with Brock there, just being near him calmed things down a bit, and made him think a little more clearly. Thomas suddenly jerked his head around the room, looking around and searching through the vast empty spaces for something. “Brock, where is Dustin?” he asked for the second time. 

Brock stood up slowly and pointed towards the exit. “I sent him back to the Shallow Bay to retrieve Benjamin. He’s the only one who can defeat Rhiannon now.”

“I don’t understand. How is that possible? Rhiannon’s nothing more than a spirit.”

Taking a long breath, Brock began to pace the room anxiously. “Benjamin never used to be the person he is today. He was… something else. Dustin wrote about it a long time ago, and called him The Shepherd of the Damned. He was immortal, living off the souls of others, a merciless evil angel, if you will, but all that ended when he sacrificed himself for Dustin.” Brock’s voice dropped a bit as he spoke and the room seemed to fill with shadows. “He had fallen in love with him and was willing to give up his soul to save Dustin. Their spirits had become irrecoverably intertwined after that, and one day, when they were parted, Benjamin’s soul broke free and found a way to bring them both here to Prox. Here he became mortal once again, giving it all up to be with Dustin. All he wanted to be is a ordinary man and have a normal life and be happy. The power is still there, contained, sleeping deep within him. If he releases that power and becomes what he once was, then he can take Rhiannon’s soul, and then she can pass on peacefully. He is the only one who can do it.”

Thomas frowned. “That’s it? That’s all it would take? It seems too easy.” He looked up at Brock, who was facing away from him, looking towards the doors. “Wait—what happens to Benjamin if he becomes the Shepherd?” 

Brock’s eyes stayed focused on the steel door frame in front of him as he spoke quietly. “What Rhiannon is doing is wrong; she’s messing with powers that are way beyond her control. Souls and spirits aren’t meant to be manipulated and played with; it upsets the thin fabric that holds reality together. If she succeeds in placing Burnley’s soul into another vessel, it will upset the natural order of things and may very well bring about the end of this world as we know it. The storm that rages outside is evidence of this. When we die, we’re supposed to move on, and let our energy disperse into the universe; she’s stopping that, which is causing rips in time and space. If it builds up much longer, then the very fibers that hold everything together will come undone, destroying everything.”

“That’s not what I asked you, Brock.” Thomas said quietly. The two men sat in silence for moments. “Benjamin won’t be able to come back, will he?”

“Once he gives in and sets the power free, there is no turning back. He will be consumed by the rage that lives inside of him and the insatiable need to devour souls forever. Benjamin as we know him will be gone.”

“No, there must be another way! Benjamin is part of our family Brock!” Thomas shouted. “We can’t just let him give up his life here. He has a place here that he belongs, and people that depend on him. Lizzie and the kids need him, I need him, Dustin needs him!” Thomas fell silent, realizing what he had just blurted out without thinking. He looked up at Brock, and saw that his shoulders had slightly slumped and his head lowered, but still he kept looking away from him, towards the sealed doors. Thomas let out a quiet curse underneath his breath. He didn’t mean to throw Dustin and Benjamin’s relationship in Brock’s face, he was simply caught up in the moment and wished he could take it back. 

Standing with his back towards Thomas, Brock closed his eyes for a moment, feeling completely drained and exhausted. He desperately wanted to just let go and fade away, sinking into the shadows and darkness, completely forgetting about Prox, but he knew that he couldn’t allow himself one moment of peace. If he lowered his guard and gave into the fatigue, she would come for him, and that would be the end of everything. “You’re being greedy, Thomas.” He spoke in a hushed tone over his shoulder. “You don’t need Benjamin now, you’ve got a family, friends, the Messengers, everything you could ever possibly need. You’re only keeping him around because you can’t bare the thought of letting go of him, but if you take a step back and look at the big picture, you’d see that he’s not happy, Ben hasn’t been happy for a long time. This ‘family’ thing isn’t for him, it never was. He doesn’t sleep at night, he’s always awake at odd hours wandering though the base or sitting outside with his guitar, anxious and uneasy. Back on earth, he had a band and they traveled around the country, and that is when he was the most happy. He wasn’t tied down to anyone or anything, but instead lived life as he chose, not bound by duty or commitment. What you and Dustin have done to him is cruel, forcing him into a domestic life where he feels confined and trapped.” A sudden, unexpected boom of thunder momentarily interrupted Brock, reminding him of the storm outside. “Either way, becoming the Shepherd of the Damned is a conscious decision that he must make. It can’t be forced upon him, he has to accept it on his own and considering the situation that we are in, and the consequences that may happen, I think we both know what he will choose.”

Thomas slammed his hands down on the floor with force, rattling the chains that were attached. “It’s your fault he’s not been himself, Brock! You’ve been haunting his dreams and giving him waking nightmares all because you need help. If you had just gone to Dustin, like you should have, things wouldn’t be like this! Benjamin would be able to think things through logically and tell us what needed to be done to solve this problem, but instead his brain is fried and his thought process is completely fucked up. I get it, you’re upset and hurt that Dustin moved on, but that’s what you wanted him to do. You used Burnley to momentarily forget about Dustin, and now that you’ve lost him, you’re trying to hold onto something that isn’t there anymore. You want Benjamin gone because he loves Dustin.”

Brock whirled around and walked quickly back to Thomas, bending down slightly and jamming a finger into his chest. “Don’t you DARE try to rationalize things that are beyond your range of understanding! What I feel for Dustin, and Benjamin are none of your concern and have no place here. Can’t you see that I am trying to save you all from being completely wiped out of existence?” Looking down at Thomas, Brock could see his own angry reflection there in the visor and immediately withdrew and stepped away. In a way, Thomas was completely right about his feelings for Dustin. Brock kept a unrequited love for him locked away deep inside of his heart, but refused to outwardly acknowledge it. It was this love that kept Brock’s spirit strong and gave him the strength to fight off Rhiannon, but it was dwindling, fading fast. Every moment spent in between worlds weakened him, and the emotional turmoil he was now going through was only speeding up the process, creating the perfect opportunity for Rhiannon to strike. 

“I am sorry.” Thomas said quietly. “I didn’t mean that to sound the way it did. It’s just that we lost you, and Selene is missing…I don’t want to lose anyone else, especially Benjamin. I can’t quite explain it, but he means a lot to a bunch of people, not just us. When he’s around the Shallow Bay, people feel safe and protected. Sure, they all follow me and know that I am the Commander, but they look up to Benjamin for a spiritual guidance that I could never give them. The strange thing is that he’s not a religious man, by any means but they all know that he is someone that they can put their faith in and never be let down, he is the source of their strength. Without someone like that to believe in, they have nothing. I….we…can’t lose him.”

Outside the base, the rain had picked up again and the quiet pattering of it could be heard on the rooftop high above. Once again, Brock moved away from Thomas and towards the sealed doors that led out of the room. Reaching up, he placed his fingers on the cool steel metal, noticing the fine line of scars that ran across each of his fingers and down to his wrist. He spoke so quietly that Thomas had to struggle to hear his words over the sound of the rain. “There may be another way to stop Rhiannon, but it’s a long shot.”

Thomas’s eyes widened. “What is it? Anything has got to be better than Ben sacrificing himself!”

“There were two men that assaulted you and brought you here to Eden.”

“Yes. I don’t remember much about them, other than they struck me from behind and attached me to this fucking visor.” Thomas interrupted.

Brock continued, keeping his hand on the door panel. “They are still here because she needs them to keep guard.”

A look of confusion fell over Thomas’s face. “What? I don’t understand.”

“Shortly after Rhiannon’s accident, the FEC started taking control of Earth. They raided hospitals for the purpose of using the sick and invalid as test subjects for the first round of Carnivores. Those who may have seemed ‘important’ to them were taken away, never to be heard from again. Rhiannon was one of these unfortunate souls. When they discovered who she was, and the connection she had both to the Starset society and to Benjamin, they decided to keep her in a state of mental stasis by using a visor on her in hopes that one day, she might prove useful to them. They transported her to Prox and kept her alive in a coma like state, but little did they know that all this time, she was learning how to manipulate and control the functions of the visor, and use it for her own advantage. When she was discovered and her life support meddled with, it kick started her subconscious into rage mode, creating the vengeful force that we are dealing with now. Her soul has been twisted into something dark and dangerous, which needs to be contained, but there is a very slim possibility that it might return to its rightful place within the host if her body is destroyed. The two men that brought you here remain in the base because they are guarding her body which is hidden somewhere deep inside Eden. If someone finds her body and ends her life, it might cause the spirit to snap back in place and pass on naturally.”

Thomas’s face lit up with excitement. “Then that’s what needs to be done. As soon as Dustin gets back here with Benjamin, then they can get me free from this visor and these chains and we can go all track that bitch’s body down together. There’s no need for anyone to sacrifice anything. We will pull the plug on her and stop her dead in her tracks. You can be free Brock, you and Burnley both to finally rest in peace without cares or fears, and we can go back to living our lives.”

Brock turned his head slightly. “Thomas, I told you it ‘might’ work. It’s only a theory. There’s no book written about souls and how they are tied to their vessels. If I am wrong then it could be a huge waste of time, and I am growing weaker by the moment. I don’t know how much longer I have left. It’s too great of a risk to take.”

“I am willing to gamble on it. If the only other alternative we have is Benjamin becoming some sort of demon or angel, or whatever the hell he is, then I think we need to try and take a chance. Benjamin is one of us, he’s not some sort of weapon to be used up and then discarded. Dustin wouldn’t allow Benjamin to succumb to this power that he has and neither will I.” Sitting back down on the floor, Thomas looked at the thick, heavy shackles that held him down on. “We’re going to find her and do what we have to so that we all get to go home.”

“Then that is what needs to be done. Someone needs to find Rhiannon's body and destroy it, before it's too late.” Brock leaned forward and rested his head against the steel door and closed his eyes again. For a moment, he let the darkness in, and let it consume him, soothing his wounded heart. The absence of a pulse and lack of warmth to his skin truly made him feel like a empty shell, a walking corpse. His body had died a year ago, back in the FEC base, entwined with Burnley’s, and now he knew that his soul was dying, slowly, minute by agonizing minute and this pain was almost the worst that he had ever felt. Reaching up, Brock placed his fingertips on the door, feeling the coolness of the metal underneath them, and then formed them into a tight fist. Behind him, he could hear Thomas fussing with his shackles. Pulling his arm back, Brock slammed his hand into the door, as he had done once before at the door to the control room panel of the FEC base, only this time, there was no sound, no impact, just Brock’s eyes filling up with tears and streaming down over his cheeks. A terrible and great feeling of guilt overcame him, and he felt a tightness in his chest along with a stinging pain inside of his head. The room began to spin and a intense wave of fatigue overcame him. He looked back at Thomas, who was now staring at him in concern and saying something, but Brock couldn’t hear it. He felt himself being pulled away and could do nothing to stop it. Silently he prayed that he could have the strength to come back one last time to stop Rhiannon. He needed to keep fighting her for as long as he could, but it couldn’t be now, he was too weak, he would have to go away and recover before returning, build his strength up for the final fight. Falling down to his knees, he started to fade away and disappear. The last conscious thought that he had before the darkness took him was sorrow. “I am sorry.” He whispered with a voice that no one heard. “I lied to you.”

I leaned back on the cold steel doors that separated me from Thomas and Brock. I heard everything and couldn’t believe a word of it. How could Brock be so cold and callous towards Ben and want him to become that monster again? I couldn’t let it happen. A thousand emotions ran through me all at once, but the worst of them was betrayal. I wanted to turn around and burst right in through the doors and scream at him, expressing the fury that I was feeling inside, but I knew that it wouldn’t get me anywhere. Yelling at a ghost was stuff for crazy people. Benjamin may have the power to defeat Rhiannon as the Shepherd of the Damned, but there was no way in hell that I was going to let him use it. We had a life together now, a nice, normal life that we have always wanted, and nothing was going to take that away from me. 

The solution to the problem was simple. Picking up the bag of supplies that I had brought with me, I flung it over my shoulder and stepped away from the doors. I was not going back to the Shallow Bay, not going to bring Benjamin or anyone else back to Eden, like I told them I would, but instead I made up my mind to delve further into the twisting, overgrown corridors and find where Rhiannon’s body was being kept and destroy it myself. I knew there was a chance that if he were here, seeing his wife for the first time in years it might affect him badly, and there was no need to put him through that, when I was capable of taking care of it myself. If things went south, and a choice had to be made, Ben would choose to become the Shepherd of the Damned to save us all, because he was that sort of person who would throw his life away for others, and there was no way in hell that I was going to allow that to happen. Ben was mine now, and I wouldn’t let anything tear us apart. 

Stepping back into the corridors that I once knew so well, I started on my way alone through Eden, not exactly knowing what I was looking for or where I was going. Brock said that there were two men guarding Rhiannon, and it occurred to me that I would probably have to find a way to deal with them in the quickest way possible. Aaron had not left us with any weapons, which put me at a extreme disadvantage, but still I kept walking. I had to find her at all costs. I thought about Benjamin back at the Shallow Bay and how distant he and I had become over the last month. I had been short and impatient with him, demanding to know the reason for his depressive state, and not bothering to be kind enough to simply ask him what was bothering him. His refusal to help Thomas save Brock was disturbing me more than I let on, but I now knew why. It was Rhiannon. Somehow he knew that she was involved and couldn’t deal with it. I could only imagine the pain that he was going through, knowing that she was here the entire time, sleeping away the years until being thrust into consciousness by some unknown force. No matter what happened, I was going to protect Ben.

Trying to keep my thoughts focused, I moved on further down into the base. I didn’t even know where to start, but I was familiar with the layout and was able to search through the first few levels without any trouble at all. Each area that I checked turned up empty. Hours passed by and all I found was overgrown vegetation that had cracked the walls, and saturated the once impenetrable structure with a thick, damp moisture that soaked everything. The deeper I went, the less I was able to hear the rain from outside, and the amount of light rapidly decreased, leaving me in almost pitch black surroundings. Bringing my light back out from my bag, I flashed it around the intersection where I was now standing, trying to get my bearings, when I noticed a familiar door near the end of a hall. Slowly walking over to it, I put my hand on the heavy steel and was shocked to find out that it easily slid to the side, allowing me easy access. I stepped over some rubble, past the threshold and entered the room, shining the light around. So many emotions came flooding back all at once. I had found myself in Ben’s private quarters. 

The room itself was in a bad state of disarray. His once beautiful antique book shelves were toppled over, spilling their contents onto the floor where they had become wet and molded. Furniture was scattered, upside down and thrown carelessly around in random places in the room. I made my way through the rubble to the bed room, which also had been ransacked, and flashed the light on what was left of the bed where Ben and I had spent our first night together. There wasn’t much left of it, the mattress was rotted and fallen apart, with bits of bedding crumpled up and rotting in the corner of the room. I casually looked up to the ceiling for a moment, a fond memory coming back to me, of that night when he first showed me the stars and the love that he had for me. I always knew that I loved him, and he loved me in return, but it wasn’t until that one tender moment that it all became real for me. Ben opened my eyes to a universe of such intense love and devotion and made me feel like I belonged there, in his arms, under the light of those stars for eternity, even if they were just projected bits of light. 

Bringing myself out of the pleasant memory, I turned around and as my light spilled over the archway that separated the bedroom from the living room, my heart stopped for a moment and I let out a startled cry. There, standing in front of me was Burnley. The hand that was holding onto the light instantly started to tremble and I found myself taking a step backwards. Standing completely still, I could see that he was barefoot and shirtless, only wearing a pair of tight fitting black leather pants. The pale white skin on his torso, neck and arms was covered in what looked like thick, gelatinous red blood that trickled down his body, dripping slowly onto the carpeted floor. There was a terrible gash in his stomach, from where he had been stabbed, and with each breath that he took, I could see the pulsating, twisting layers of intestine inside. Horrified, I wanted to look away from this terrifying sight in front of me, but somehow I found the strength to hold my ground. I flashed the light up towards his head and I could see that here was a piece of soft, silky black fabric tied around his eyes, which was also damp and soaked with blood. As my light fell upon his face, he turned it slightly to the side and I saw that the material tied around his sightless eyes wasn’t just any random bandage or shredded rag, there was a patch on the side of it, with the numbers ‘5502’ emblazoned across it. It was a shred of silk ripped from Brock’s flight jacket. 

“Burnley.” I whispered. He did not respond. Utterly terrified, I didn’t know what to do. I knew that he couldn’t be here, he was dead, and yet somehow here he was standing in front of me. At first I thought that somehow he was able to appear as a spirit, just as Brock was able to, but by looking at him, I knew that this wasn’t the case, there was definitely something ‘wrong’ with what I was seeing. He didn’t move or speak, but stood between me and the door, motionless and imposing. There was a coldness in the air that was more than just physically uncomfortable, it was this lingering sense of dread that seeped right into my chest and eroded away all the breath, filling it with a noxious poison that burned my throat and lungs making it difficult to breathe. “What do you want?” I asked with a low voice that betrayed me with weakness. I couldn’t help but to stand there and stand at him, at the corpse in front of me in with some sort of morbid fascination. This wasn’t the charismatic, narcissistic son of Benjamin Burnley that everyone feared, nor was it the imposing and fearful man who single handed slaughtered an entire base of Carnivores in a matter of hours. This… this thing was a gross replica of the person he once was and I wanted it gone from my sight. Why was I being forced to see this? I glanced at his hands, at the slender fingers that once caressed my body as those cold, hard lips assaulted every inch of my skin with tempestuous kisses and started to shiver uncontrollably. I wondered what it would be like to feel that again, to be held down by those unforgiving strong arms and forced into submission. I closed my eyes for and remembered the exact moment when he broke me, leaving me naked and alone on the floor.

“No…” I whispered, more to myself than him. “You’re not here, you died in the FEC base along with all your evil sins and deeds.” I opened my eyes again and stared right at him. “You bastard, you deserved to die, but why did you have to take Brock with you?” I felt rage starting to build up inside of me and my fingers clutched tightly on the handle of the flashlight. “I thought that Brock would understand… about Ben and I. He’s such a kind and caring person, so full of light and life that I assumed he’d simply be happy for us and be able to pull through it…but he didn’t.. and it’s all because of you! You manipulated him into thinking that he was important to you, that you needed and loved him! You gave him exactly what he wanted, but at what a cost? You couldn’t just lay down and die respectfully…no… you had to take him down with you…it was your last big ‘fuck you’ to me, to Ben, to all of us…taking the one person away from us who never did anything wrong! I will never forgive you for what you did. Even in death, or wherever you are, I hope that you stay there and rot.”

I stopped for a moment, realizing that I was shouting at the top of my lungs in a place where I was supposed to be being stealthy. I forced myself to calm down. My loud outburst was completely out of character for me, and left me feeling shaken and even more upset. There were obviously feelings inside of me that I needed to get out about Burnley and Brock, but I had no idea why they chose to manifest themselves the way that they did. Getting myself together, and summoning up all the courage that I could possibly find, I held up the light to Burnley’s face again. “Get out of my way.” I said in a surprisingly strong voice. I waited. He didn’t move. I took a deep breath. “I said, get out of my way, Burnley, or whatever the fuck you are.” Once again, I waited. The only response I got was a small smirk creeping across his bloodstained lips. He wasn’t going to move. Trying to convince myself that this wasn’t real, I stepped forward quickly, my feet carrying me with a unexpected quick momentum that brought me half way across the room with a breakneck speed. The moment I moved to go around him, he suddenly turned and lunged for me, grabbing my arm. His fingers were freezing cold, and I could feel a spiderweb of frost creep up my flesh, fanning out from where he held me. I stopped, dead in my tracks, unable to move. I saw him turn towards me, the streaks of blood running down his face from his sightless eyes and pull me close to him. The stench of death and decay filled my nose and mouth making me want to vomit. Burnley grinned at me, a terrible, wicked, lust filled grin and brought his face down close to mine. All the courage and strength that I had a few moments ago vanished and now here I was, trembling in his arms again. As his cold fingers bore into the flesh of my arm, he leaned down and without warning, pressed his frigid lips against mine, drawing the air right out of my lungs with one long, deep breath. I could feel bits of the flesh of his torn lips brush against mine, and then the terrible, warm coppery taste of blood entering my mouth and flowing down my throat, choking me. Tighter and tighter he held me, forcing the kiss harshly onto me, until I thought that I was going to pass out. Each nerve in my body was frozen and numb, totally useless as my arms and legs refused to move. I knew that I should be trying to run away, fight back against this horrible thing, but I just couldn’t, because beyond all the coldness and pain there was something else, something that I was craving. It was the sense of being totally consumed and controlled that kept me motionless and trapped in his arms. I could remember his words to me, telling me that after he raped me, there would always be a part of me that would want him, need him, and in the darkest moments of my life, even desire him. I never thought it was possible. I could never feel this way towards him, especially after being raped by him, but now here I was, nothing more than a helpless victim again, and I liked it. Ben had become so distant to me, so withdrawn… I wanted to feel something, anything….again. I closed my eyes reached up, my hand going to the plastic pick that hung from a silver chain on my neck and wrapped my fingers around it, Brock’s pick.

“I love him.” I heard Brock’s voice say inside of my head. “I am going back because there’s nothing for me here. You have Benjamin, Thomas has Lizzie, everyone has someone to belong to, except for me. Burnley needs me, just as much as I need him. I want to be with him, even if that means I have to give up my life…because no one deserves to die alone.”

“Brock.” I said quietly. “I understand now. Please forgive me.” I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Burnley was gone, the room was empty. Overcome with emotion, I dropped down to my knees and started to cry. Burnley was never here, it was all just a figment of my imagination. There were still feelings and emotions that I had to come to terms with, and now that I was alone, I could do nothing to prevent them from surfacing and causing me grief and sorrow. I sat the flashlight down for a moment, wiping at my eyes and then noticed something unusual hidden away underneath the bed. At first it looked like a lump of fabric, but oddly enough it wasn’t stained or torn in anyway. Curious, I bent down and pulled it out, and was surprised to find that it wasn’t a piece of discarded clothing or piece of material at all. It was a blue teddy bear with a Celtic knot embroidered on it’s tummy. I held the plush toy in my shaking hands and examined it. I had seen it before, a long time ago, at the church. This wasn’t just any ordinary teddy bear, this was Burnley’s teddy bear. How could it possibly get here and be in such perfect condition? A million theories filled my head. I flipped it over and noticed that it had a odd, strange weight to it, making it much heavier than it should be. I ran my fingers over a set of crude stitches that held the back of the bear closed, an obvious sign that someone had concealed something inside of it. Curious, I grabbed both sides of the fabric and yanked them open, popping up the messy stitch work with ease. I thrust my fingers inside of the bear’s tummy, fishing around through layers of stuffing, until I found something hard buried deep inside. Pulling it out, I found that it was a thick piece of plastic, which had lines etched onto the acrylic which resembled a circuit board. Sitting the gutted bear down, I ran my fingers along the lines and almost immediately it started to flicker and come to life with a eerie green glow. It was a electronic key card that granted access to one of the lower levels of Eden. I was being led there, I had to go. 

Picking up the discarded teddy bear, I shoved the loose pieces of stuffing that had fallen out back inside and slid it into my messenger bag. I don’t know why I kept it, all I knew is that I didn’t want it left here, unloved and alone. Slowly, I rose to my feet and looked at the number which was etched onto the glowing card. It was in a portion of Eden which I had never been to before, but I knew how to get there, it would take me some time to navigate through the dark corridors and I prayed that I could make it before Rhiannon came back for Thomas. Brock wouldn’t be able to hold her off much longer, and getting Ben involved was completely out of the question. It all fell on me. 

I left the bedroom and made my way through the living quarters once again and as I walked by a dirt encrusted mirror, I stopped for a moment. Reaching up, I wiped the dust off the glass and looked at my reflection there. It had been so long since we arrived on Prox and been through so much, I barely recognized myself. Through everything though, I was proud of the person that I had become, and happy that I finally had Ben in my life. There was no way that I would ever be able to go through all of this without him. He was my support and my lifeline. I couldn’t live without him. I held the light up to the mirror to get a better look at my appearance and then gasped, dropping it down onto the floor. “Fuck!!” I mumbled and grabbed for the light again. As I leaned forward, holding it up to fully illuminate my face, I noticed that there were traces of red on my upper lip. Running my hand quickly over it, I looked on in horror as it came away covered in fresh blood. Gasping, I quickly rolled up the sleeve on the arm where Burnley had grabbed me and found bruises there. My heart started to race and then the temperature in the room seemed to drop. There was a sound echoing in my ears that reminded me somewhat of Burnley’s insane, vicious laughter. I was immediately moving, running as fast as I could toward the door and back out into the hall where I would be safe. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew I had to get out of there.

Stopping at the first intersection that I found, I glanced at the floor plan that was still attached to the wall and thanked whatever gods were listening that I was heading in the right direction. I wanted to be far away from that room. I could still taste his lips on mine. I don’t know if I ran for hours or minutes, but it felt like an eternity before I reached the high security section of the Eden base. Normally highly secured, most of the doors to this part of the facility were now open, exposing empty, barren rooms beyond, except for one near the end of the corridor. As I made my way closer to it, I happened to look down and I could see that there was absolutely no dust or debris covering the floor here. It still looked shiny and new, as if someone had been taking care of it. I gripped the key card tighter in my hand and moved forward, this is where I had to be. I took a moment to consider what I had to do; I was going into that room to commit murder, plain and simple. I was fully prepared to do whatever it took to end the life of Benjamin Burnley’s wife and this frightened me. I had absolutely no doubt or hesitation in my head, only a burning desire to do this one thing that could save Prox, and save Ben too. I refused to let him become the Shepherd of the Damned. Was I no better than Burnley for thinking so callously and cold? Perhaps, but I would be able to sleep at night knowing that the death of one person could save the life of thousands. 

As I approached the door, I threw the bag I was carrying down onto the ground where it popped open and the teddy bear slid out. I reached up to insert the card into the slot and looked down to where it was lying. Those deep brown glass bead eyes were looking up at me, staring at me with a accusing blankness that chilled me right down to the bone. I turned my attention back to the card and dipped it into the slot and heard the door unlock. Slowly, I pushed it open and stepped inside. 

I entered a small room, lined with computers and monitors, all of which were in working order, displaying bits of information. There was a large desk here in the center of the room, which had a set of buttons on it which released a manual lock to another room off to the side. I pulled the chair to the desk out and tried to access the computer, but I couldn’t get any information off of it, it was locked out. I glanced to the thick steel door on the opposite side of the room and instantly knew that is where I had to go. Rhiannon’s body would be sealed away here, so far deep inside Eden that no one would find her. I was so close to ending all of this. I looked around and couldn’t find any weapons and took a deep breath. Unless there was something else in the room beyond with her body, I’d have to snap her neck or strangle her. I wasn’t prepared for such a physical death, but I could do it. I had to. Taking a deep breath, I leaned over the desk, pushing a cup of hot coffee out of the way and pushed the button to release the lock to the next room. There was a loud buzz and then it popped open an inch, waiting for me to make my entrance. As I stepped away from the desk, I got a whiff of that fresh coffee and then thought about how nice a cup of coffee would be after this was all over. 

Approaching the door, I pushed it open and went inside. The first thing that hit me was the acidic smell of preservation chemicals and the bright searing fluorescent lighting overhead. I waited for a moment, letting my eyes adjust and then stood there, shocked and slack jawed at the sight in front of me. This wasn’t one single patient room, this was an entire wing of the base with hundreds of gurneys lined up underneath those harsh lights. On each of those gurneys was a body, connected with a assortment of various tubes and wires, each connecting to a central network of cables which pumped chemicals into their veins. “What the hell?” I walked over to the closest bed and pulled the sheet back, revealing a unconscious, naked male laying there. He had several scars over his body, and a number tattooed on the side of his arm. Confused, I went over to the next bed and removed that sheet as well. It was another man, this one with massive injuries, but still alive, tattooed and asleep on the gurney, being kept alive by a machine. Looking down the aisle, I counted at least 50 rows of beds that stretched out across the wing, with at least 100 patients on each. I kept moving around, stopping to occasionally pull off one of the random sheets to find the same thing. They were all adult men and women, some with wounds and scars, some without, all being kept in a state of stasis for some unknown reason. The only one thing that they all had in common was that they each bore a numbered tattoo on their arm. I stopped walking as realization hit me. I remembered Brock once telling me that during his time working for the FEC, they were each given a specific number, to denote their rank, the higher the number, the more important they were. Brock kept his FEC jacket and wore it on days when it was still slightly cold outside. He seemed to be proud of his number. These people laid out on the gurneys here, they weren’t people from Prox… they were members of the FEC, the ones that Aaron and his group had tracked down and reportedly executed. Rhiannon’s body wasn’t stored here, she was never here. These were just the FEC members that fled after their bases were destroyed. What was he planning on doing with them? “Oh my god, Aaron what have you done?” I asked underneath my breath. 

I felt something touch the back of my head, and then the unmistakable sound of a laser pistol being powered up. “You should never have come here, Dustin.” A familiar voice said from behind me. “I left you out there so you had the chance to escape, but you didn’t… and now I am going to have to kill you.”

Holding my hands up, I slowly turned around. I came face to face with Keith Wallen. 

It only took a moment for Lizzie to snap to her senses, pulling herself up off the floor and immediately reached into the emergency pack she had kept strapped to her waist at all times. Her small fingers curled around a glow stick which could be used as an emergency source of light. Removing it from the pack, she held it tightly and slammed it into the concrete wall, breaking the small vials inside, releasing the chemicals for illumination. Quickly shaking it, as fast as she could to get the light to glow, she noticed that there was a deathly silence that had fallen all over the base. Since the power had gone out, and the emergency lights failed to kick on, there should have been teams of men running about, trying to get generators started, and security guards making rounds through each of the halls, but there wasn’t. The thing that worried her most about the silence was that, moments earlier before the power had gone out; she could hear one of her sons crying, screaming out into the night. Now there was nothing. 

Putting her hand on the door to her private quarters, Lizzie prepared to push it open when suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. Someone was coming to check on her, after all! Holding up her light, she decided to wait before entering the room, hoping that the guard could offer her some added security and protecting, just in case there really was someone in there with her sons. Several moments passed, and as the footsteps drew closer Lizzie started to get a bad, dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Every instinct told her that she should run and hide, something truly awful was coming down that hall, but she refused to listen to these thoughts. She knew that The Shallow Bay was her home, Thomas and the others had made it safe here, nothing could harm her or her children. Taking a step down the corridor, she called out into the darkness. “Hello? Who is there?” 

Waiting patiently, Lizzie felt her hand start to tremble and her pulse quicken. There was no answer except for the sound of the footsteps echoing on the concrete. Clearing her throat, she called out again, but was met with only silence. Slipping her hand back into her bag, she withdrew a small laser pistol that Thomas had given her to keep in her medical kit. At first she was opposed to carrying it, but since giving birth to the twins and feeling the maternal instinct to protect them, she soon found it difficult to part with. Flicking on the power button with her thumb, the weapon rapidly charged up, armed and ready for use. Holding it up, she aimed it down to the end of the corridor and waited. Listening as the storm raged outside, Lizzie could hear a quiet, soft ruffling sound underneath the massive booms of thunder. She couldn’t quite put her finger on exactly what that sound was, but it sort of reminded her of the soft flapping of bird wings. Her heart pounding in her throat, the steps were only a few feet away from her, right around the corner. Her finger slipped over the trigger and she waited, one hand clutching the weapon, and the other holding onto the emergency glow stick. 

The entire corridor was bathed in an eerie green light as Benjamin stepped forward, and Lizzie let out a sigh of relief, instantly lowering the weapon. “Benjamin! Thank goodness that you’re here! I was so worried when the storm got worse that you wouldn’t be able to make it back.” Taking a few steps toward him, Lizzie smiled and noticed that he stood just outside of the light of her glow stick, staying in the shadows. Lowering the light a bit, she slowly approached him and noticed that he was soaking wet, drenched from head to toe and looking more pale than she had ever seen him before. As she moved closer and the light spread out around him, she let out a small scream. Ben’s hands, particularly his knuckles were covered in blood and there were light splatters of it across his face. “Benjamin, what happened out there?” she asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the booming thunder outside. 

His eyes shifted from her down to his hands, which he looked at with cold, dead eyes. “Selene is dead. Aaron killed her. He’s not a threat anymore. I've taken care of him.”

Lizzie felt her heart beating in her throat. She had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. “Why! Why would he do such a thing? She wasn’t a threat to anyone! Benjamin, please tell me that you are lying, tell me that this is some sort of dream that I am going to wake up from! She can’t be dead, she just can't be!”

Walking over to her, Benjamin put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Lizzie glanced dully up at them and saw that he left bright red streaks across her white dress where he had touched her. Feeling the tears starting to form in her eyes, she leaned in against him, wrapping her arms around his muscular body and hugged him as tightly as she could. Benjamin would make things right, he always did. He was the rock that everyone depended on, unmoving and stable, even in the worst crisis, he was the one that they all looked to in guidance. Things must have been terribly bad for Benjamin to let his emotions over come him and murder Aaron. And Selene... she was so loving, so kind to everyone that it was impossible to think that someone would want her dead. Her whole life revolved around her son and her grandchildren. A fleeting thought crossed her mind, that possibly Selene was fooling them all, and had secrets that no one knew about and was working against them. No... that couldn't be the case, Selene would never do that. She wanted redemption from her past digressions with the FEC and wanted to make amends. Sobbing, Lizzie gave into her emotions and buried her face against Benjamin's chest and immediately noticed that his skin was incredibly hot, almost too warm for a natural state. His breath was thin and shallow, almost forced as it rattled in his lungs. She knew that there was something wrong with him. Taking a step back, she wiped her tears away, Selene’s death momentarily out of her mind, and the concern for him taking over. “Benjamin, I don’t think you are well. You’re soaking wet and burning up. You need to go to the infirmary right away, your pulse is so faint that I can barely feel it.” She slipped out of his arms and away from him. “Wait, how did you get back here? I didn’t hear any vehicles arrive…did you walk?” 

“I’m fine.” Ben said flatly, attempting to smile at her. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay, Lizzie.” He took a step to the side, moving away from her and towards the entrance of her private quarters. “What’s going on here?” he asked, his voice suddenly full of concern for her.

Not quite wanting to drop the subject of his health, or that of Selene’s death, but worried about her boys, Lizzie gripped hold of the glow stick tightly. “I need your help, please… I think someone is after the children. The nurse in the nursery said that a blond woman was here for them. I was going to go check on them when you turned up, please come with me, I am afraid that they might be in danger.”

“Of course.” Benjamin said as he stepped back into the shadows, away from her. There was something strange about the way that he moved and spoke to her; it gave Lizzie chills, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment, her children were her priority now. 

Turning her back on him without another word or thought, Lizzie pushed the doors open and stepped into the darkness. She made her way through the living quarters slowly, letting the dim illumination from the glow stick softly cascade over the furniture spread out over the area, trying her best not to trip over anything. The cries from the boys had ceased after Benjamin’s arrival and a mother’s instinct told her that it was baby Ben who was the one fussing. Her hands were trembling as she moved closer to the door to the nursery, and her heart was being furiously. The only comfort that she has was the small weapon at her side, and Benjamin behind her. Glancing around, she checked to make sure that he was still following her. Her eyes fell on the tall, dark, silent silhouette behind her, and it put her a little bit at ease. 

She pushed the door open just as a crash of lightning illuminated the sky outside, filling the room with a bright flash light that hurt her eyes. From her vantage point, she could see the rocking chair near the window where she like to sit and sing the boys to sleep, and near it two distinct cradles. Hearing Ben enter the room behind her, she turned around for a moment and handed him the glow stick and quickly made her way over to the cribs. The first one she approached was that of little Benjamin, who was wide awake and watching her with bright, interested eyes. Lizzie let out a sigh of relief and bent down to scoop him up in her arms. The moment that he was cradled in her embrace, he started to cry and fuss, kicking and flailing against her, not wanting to be picked up. “Shhh Ben it's alright, it's just mommy checking on you, everything is okay. Calm down, stop crying you're safe now.” Her pleas were only met with a even louder scream and shrieks of rage. Holding him against her chest, she tried to rock him back and forth to calm the fussing child, but it was of no use, he kept fighting against her, his cries echoing in the small room. Lizzie glanced over at Tristan in the next crib who had been sleeping and was now fully awake and starting to become upset at his brothers situation. “Please Ben, stop crying, you're going to upset your brother, please stop...” She rubbed his back and tried her best to comfort him. “Mommy's here.”

Benjamin walked over to Lizzie and extended his arms. “Here, let me try.” At first, Lizzie didn't want to let Benjamin have him. Ever since the child was born, he had been incredibly fickle and would take to fits of crying rage for no reason at all, much like he was now, and only Benjamin was the one who could soothe him. This did not sit well with her at all. Ben was her child and as his mother, she should have been the one to take care of him and know how to make him feel safe and content, but there was just some connection that the little boy had with Benjamin that she could never quite figure out and it greatly bothered her, even making her a little jealous. Knowing that she had to attend to her other son, she reluctantly handed Ben over to Benjamin and in the matter of a few seconds, he had stopped crying and was now fully content and cooing gently in his arms. Lizzie looked to Benjamin, trying her best to ignore the fact that he still had blood on his hands and was now holding her son. A chill went down her spine. “I wish I knew what you did to get him to calm down so quickly.” She said. 

Smiling at her, Benjamin did not say a word, but instead turned away from her, carefully cradling the small baby with the most delicate ease. Lizzie shook her head and turned her attention towards Tristan. Maybe Benjamin would never tell her how he did it, and it really didn't matter in the end, as long as baby Ben was safe and cared for. 

Tristan was awake as well now too, giggling happily as she picked him up from the crib and held his small body against her. A wave of relief washed over her. “Everything seems to be okay.” Lizzie looked around the dark room. “There's obviously no one here, and nothing is disturbed. Maybe the nurse just made a mistake, or...” She stopped and noticed that Benjamin was walking out of the room with the baby. “Benjamin?” Lizzie quickly moved around the corner of the crib, making her way half way over to him. “Uh Benjamin, I think that it would be best if I just put the boys back down for the rest of the night. It's going to be a while before the power comes back on and...”

At that moment, Benjamin turned around slowly, and another flash of lightning illuminated the room. Lizzie let out a gasp, seeing the blazing bright amber color that filled his eyes. “Stay here Lizzie.” He said to her in a gruff, commanding tone that shook her right to the very core. 

“Ben...oh my god...There was a fearful tone in her voice and she started to shake. A pit of darkness started to form inside of her, filling her with terror. She clutched Tristan tightly to her chest. “How...why...did you use the Eden drug? There is none left! Where did you get it from? I don't understand. How could this happen? Oh god oh god oh god....” She started to shake, and her heart raced in a panic. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do, and wished that Thomas was here. Trying her best to remain calm, she took a deep breath and held a hand out to him. “It's going to be okay, let's put the boys back to bed and then we can go to the infirmary and I can help you. I don't know much about the drug, but we can figure out something together. I'll have the men fix the communication system and we can call Thomas and Dustin back, they will know what to do. We just have to remain calm.”

“No. I don't need anything from you.” Benjamin looked down at the child in his arms who was now sleeping soundly. “Except for the baby. He as a destiny to fulfill, one greater than any of us.”

Feeling a lump rising in her throat, Lizzie moved even closer to Benjamin, an unsettling feeling flowing through her. “He's my child, you aren't going to take him anywhere without my permission.” She reached down and let her fingertips brush over the edge of the gun tucked away in her pocket. “You can do whatever you want to, I won't stop you, but you need to give me my son back. Please Benjamin, I don't want to hurt you.”

Walking forward, Ben approached Lizzie and put a hand alongside her face, running his fingertips over her cheek. The feverish warmth of his skin on hers felt like it was searing through layers of flesh. When he spoke, his voice was low and hushed, almost seductive and she found that no matter how hard she tried, she could not tear her eyes away from him. Even the fresh splatters of blood that stained his face seemed to shimmer and shine in the dull light. She was completely transfixed. “You won't hurt me, Lizzie, you can't.” Held in place, her body started to waver and a single tear slipped down her cheek. “Do not weep for what is happening, for this is what meant to be. “This place, this false happiness that we've been living in for the last year is nothing more than a fantasy and a lie. It never felt quite right, did it? Brock tried to tell you, Selene warned you, but no one paid attention to their words. We've all let ourselves succumb to a numb state of contentment for a year now, letting reality fade away and ignoring the obvious, but now the time has come to face the truth, and write the ending to our own stories.”

“Benjamin. Stop it! It's the Eden drug. I don't know how you got it, but it's making you feel this way and say these things. Prox is safe, we're all safe here. This is where we are meant to be, all together as a family... please give me Ben back and let me help you!” Lizzie pleaded with him as her hand slid down and pulled out the pistol. Her small fingers wrapped around the handle and found the trigger. She didn't want to use it, and had to be careful, as he was still holding Ben, but if he refused to hand over the baby, Lizzie knew that she would. She had shot Brock before, and shooting Benjamin would be just as easy. 

Benjamin looked down at the baby in his arms. “We do not mourn those who die fulfilling the destiny of others. In time you will learn to see that this child's purpose was never meant to be part of your family. He has a duty and obligation to his father, and was conceived just for that purpose. You need to let him go Lizzie, and walk away from all of this.” 

Outside, the storm seemed to ease up a little, the lightning and thunder now far off in the distance and only the torrential rains pounding down against the windows in the nursery. “Obligation to his father? You're wrong, Thomas has no ulterior motives at all, he loves his sons, both of them and would never let anything happen to them!”

“Oh Lizzie.” Benjamin said with a sweet tone. “Open your eyes and see. This child that I hold in my arms does not belong to Thomas. Stop fooling yourself and admit it. You saw Burnley's face in his the moment that the child opened his eyes for the first time.”

“No...” Lizzie's hand tightened around the weapon she held at her side. “No... it can't be. It's not possible. I didn't....”

The expression on Benjamin's face changed to a softer one. “I am sorry that it had to be you, Lizzie, but we all must make sacrifices in our lives. Every single one of us has given up something to find a few moments of peace here on Prox, you are certainly not the exception. Accept what fate has handed you and walk away. You will still have your other child, Tristan, Thomas's son. Take comfort in the fact that there is still a chance for you to have what you have been dreaming of, a family.”

Holding her child against her, Lizzie bit down on her bottom lip. “I am sorry, Benjamin.” Lifting her arm slightly, she brought the weapon up and held it against Ben's stomach for a moment. Her eyes locked onto his terrible amber ones as a wave of sadness washed over her. “You're not taking my son anywhere!” She whispered and pulled the trigger. There was a flash of light as the bolt of electricity released from the barrel and made contact with Ben's midsection, sending his body flying backwards against the wall in a splatter of blood with the baby still cradled tightly in his arms. The smell of searing flesh filled the room, choking her and instantly making her gag. Tristan started to instantly cry, and Lizzie was forced to put him down in his crib. Momentarily distracted, she did not see Ben straighten back up and rise into a standing position. Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, she saw the droplets of blood from the wound she had just inflicted upon him splash out over the floor as he started moving back towards the door. Her hand went to her weapon again. “How... how is this possible? That shot should have killed you from that range.”

“Once again, Lizzie. I ask you to stay here. This will be the last time I make this request, for if you try and stop me from taking the child again, I will be forced to stop you.” Ben said quietly.

Holding up the gun, she aimed for his head. “Fuck you Benjamin. You aren't going anywhere with my son.”

Sighing, Ben shook his head. “If that's the way you want it.” Grabbing hold of the glow stick that was the only source of illumination in the room, Benjamin smashed it against the wall, plunging them both into darkness. Lizzie's first instinct was to pull the trigger and send a rapid wave of firepower in the direction where Ben was last standing, but fearful of hitting the baby, she could do nothing. Benjamin moved fast in the darkness, past the partially opened doors and out into the hall. Cursing underneath her breath, Lizzie hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should stay with Tristan or follow Benjamin. “FUCK!” She shouted and ran quickly out of the room. 

The few moments that she had waited, deciding what to do gave Benjamin enough time to get a head start on her. As she made her way out of the room and into the corridor, she ran into Scott, one of Thomas's most trusted men. He looked at her in shock. “Lizzie, hey...I was coming to tell you that we're almost ready to get the power back on and we are trying to reestablish communication with Thomas and Dustin.” He stared at the blood splatters on her dress. “Is.. is everything okay?”

“Where is Benjamin! Have you seen which way he went?!” She shouted at the young man. 

Scott scratched his beard. “Uh, yeah he just went that way like a few seconds ago with one of the kids. What's going on?”

Springing into action, she turned in the direction that he pointed. “Scott, please... you need to call security, we need to stop Benjamin.”

“Uh okay, sure whatever you want. What did he do?” Scott asked as he brought up his communication device. 

“He's taken one of my children. Please, send help and then go to my room. Look after Tristan for me, please... I am begging you. I don't want to leave him alone.”

“Sure, I'll go right now.” Scott said. 

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie reached for the gun that he had strapped to his hip. “Thanks. I am taking this.” Without another word, she sprinted off down the hall, leaving a bewildered Scott standing behind her.

Confused and worried, he called for security and then made his way back to Lizzie's quarters. Upon entering, he entered the nursery and went to the fussing baby and scooped him up in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth. He saw the splatter of blood against the far wall. “Oh shit. This wasn't supposed to happen.”

Following the trail of blood on the floor Lizzie made her way through the Shallow Bay, hoping that she was fast enough to catch up with Benjamin. Her head was spinning and she was almost out of breath by the time that she reached the glass hall which led into the greenhouses. It was a beautiful archway made of reinforced glass that would shimmer and shine, bright with light and life on sunny mornings, where she would love to come and tend to her plants. Along each side of the tunnel were various rose bushes, a rainbow of colors that she had carefully nurtured and brought to life with her own hands. This day, however, there was no light streaming in from outside; there was nothing but rain and darkness. She head a commotion at the end of the tunnel and ran towards it. When she arrived, the sight before her was almost too terrible to behold.

The rain pattered down over the glass tunnel, sending streaks of silvery water down over the curved edges from the outside, while on the inside, large splatters of blood dripped down from the walls, seeping onto the floor, creating puddles of shimmering crimson. Littered on the floor were the bent and twisted bodies of the security staff from the Shallow Bay, each one with their neck snapped in a awkward manner, their cold dead eyes staring up at the clouds high above. Standing in the center of the room was Benjamin, with the baby in his arms. 

Lizzie dropped down to her knees, her hands letting go of both of the weapons. They clattered onto the floor in front of her. “Why Benjamin. Why have you done this?” 

Looking down to the child in his arms, Ben sighed. “Your children are the greatest gift you will ever be given, and their souls the heaviest responsibility that will be placed in your hands. You have to take time with them, teach them to have faith and believe. You have to be a person who will protect them from the world, or even themselves, and be willing to do anything for them. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much as caring for your own child.” Benjamin looked up to Lizzie and she shuttered as those amber eyes fell on her again, for a moment, it was almost as if she were staring into Burnley's eyes. “I couldn't be there for him. I failed him as a father...and I failed Rhiannon as a husband. I thought that maybe coming to Prox would let me have a new start, wipe the slate clean and let me forget about everything that I had done, but now I see that wasn't possible. No matter what I do, it just keeps raining, and until I make things right...there will never be another day when you can step outside and feel the sunlight wash over your face.”

There was a slight sound behind her and Lizzie knew that more men were coming. She had to stall Benjamin for as long as she could. “Benjamin, you have to let go of the past. You don't need them to be your family, WE are your family now. Thomas and I, we need you here at the Shallow Bay, not just to be a leader of men, but to be with us, sharing our lives with us every single day! What about Dustin? You once said that you gave up everything you had to be with him on Earth, and even more when you came to Prox. Don't you still feel that way? He loves you so much. If he were here right now, would you be able to turn your back on him and walk away? This isn't you. This is the Eden drug and we can fix it.” Lizzie slowly rose to her feet, and stepped forward, trying not to step on any of the bodies around her, the bodies of good men who served faithfully to her and Thomas without question. Cautiously, she approached Benjamin and the baby, reaching her hand out. “Come back to us, Ben. We can sort this all out, one step at a time. If you don't do it for me, please do it for Dustin. If you do this, then you will kill him with grief and sorrow.”

The squadron of armed men came around the corner, moving to stand behind Lizzie and seeing the sight before them, immediately raised their weapons and aimed at Benjamin. Ben closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly letting the darkness wash over him and then took a deep breath. “Then let him die.” He said quietly. Raising his hand toward one of the walls of the tunnel, he let the power flow through him and into the structure, cracking the glass and shattering it into a million pieces. As the tunnel began to fall apart, the men opened fire, sending a barrage of electronic bolts in Ben's direction. Lizzie screamed, as they headed straight for Benjamin and her son. One of the soldiers grabbed hold of her and pushed her back into their ranks. As the glass rained down around him, Benjamin twisted his arm with a grand gesture and sent the silvery shards of broken glass flying off in the direction of the men. Each of the pieces hit the bodies with a sickening thud, some making impact dead center with their unprotected chests and piercing their hearts, others cracking into the layers of the bone in their skulls, sending them dropping down to the floor in sickening thuds. The electronic bolts that had been discharged from their weapons flew off in random directions, led by Ben's hand, colliding with Lizzie's beautiful roses, filling the air with a vivid collection of brightly colored petals. 

The tunnel now full demolished, the rain poured in, washing over the bodies and creating a stream of blood on the floor. Lizzie pulled herself to her feet, her once white dress now stained a light pink color. Her long black hair was wet and stinging in her eyes as she looked to Benjamin one last time. “Benjamin. Don't go. Please.” Benjamin didn't seem to hear her. He looked down to the baby in his arms, who was gazing back at him with the same brightly colored eyes. Lizzie was stricken with grief and lowered her head, no longer being able to see the sight before her. Benjamin started to walk forward, out into the storm that still held Prox in it's icy grip. “Wait. Ben.” Lizzie shouted, rising back to her feet and walking to the edge of the tunnel, her feet crunching on the bits of broken glass. He turned to look at her one last time. “Let it... be quick... if you can... please.”

Without a word, Benjamin turned away and started walking out into the night. As the rain poured down endlessly, she watched as they walked together, slowly disappearing from her life. Just as they neared the range of her vision, she saw a beautiful set of amber gold and black wings protrude from Benjamin's back. Each of the feathers shimmered with a life of their own, completely breathtaking and magnificent. The wings flapped slightly, flicking off the droplets of rain that had collected there, and then very carefully wrapped around the baby in his arms. 

The power was restored to the Shallow Bay, and as the lights came back on, Scott and another group of men found Lizzie. She was sitting in the center of the tunnel, soaking wet. Her feet and ankles were sliced and bleeding from the bits of glass that were strewn about, and she was staring out into Prox, clutching some dying white roses in her hands so tightly that the thorns were digging into her palms. Scott held up a hand, signaling for the men to stop. He approached her and bent down, gently touching her shoulder. “Lizzie. Come on, let's get you inside.” 

Without a word, she let Scott help her to her feet and lead her out of the tunnel, back into the safety of the Shallow Bay. 

The rest of the men moved in, staring at the bodies of their fallen friends in disbelief. The words 'traitor' and 'betrayal' were heavy on their lips as they resigned themselves to cleaning up the mess. One of the men went to where Lizzie had been sitting and picked up the flowers that she had been holding. Something caught his eye and reaching down, he found a trinket that had been laying underneath them. It was Lizzie's wedding ring.


End file.
